Annual report web version 2017 2 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 3
Table of Contents
Letter from the President 2 01 Identity of Alta Mane Italia
The Foundation 04 Why Art? 05 Mission 06 Strategy – The 5 areas of intervention 08 The use of Art in the 5 areas 10 The Stakeholders 12 02 Organisational and Operating Model
Governance & Staff 14 Management model 15 Project selection process 16 Selection criteria 17 Operational modalities 18 03 Activities and Projects 2017
Annual activities - Projects 20 2017 in summary 21 Workshop locations – Abroad 22 Workshop locations – Italy 23 Focus 2017 Festival x Igual Bariloche, Argentina 24 Projects: Category index 27 Testimonials 70 04 Economic and financial results 2017
Excerpt from Balance Sheet 2017 71
Legal Information 72
N.B. la versione web del Rapporto differisce da quella cartacea ESCLUSIVAMENTE per la numerazione delle pagine. 4 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Letter from the President
During the course of 2017, drawing up the Foundation’s Three-year Strategic Plan 2018-2020 (TSP) provided the opportunity to analyse for the first time the results obtained in the previous five years of AMI activity, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, as well as to initiate a profound reflection into the merits of the medium to long-term strategic objectives to be sought, with the primary aim of offering young people the benefits of best practices in this sector to enable them to participate in an advantageous change in their social context with the necessary monitoring and possible measuring of results in line with the important changes taking place in the Third Sector.
In 2017, 42 projects were supported and monitored (28 in Italy and 14 abroad, the latter in partnership with AMG) and these are illustrated in detail in this report. Here I would like merely to summarize some of the main innovations that have characterised AMI activity in 2017.
This year, the Foundation has become involved in a new sector: Research and Development, providing support to projects for research and application of the most important experiences as well as evaluating the impact of its partners. In particular, AMI has supported the research of the Allegro Moderato in musical workshops carried out in the Niguarda and San Carlo hospitals of Milan, consisting of musicians with disabilities, culminating in a publication entitled “An entirely different music” edited by Franco Angeli, as well as evaluated the impact of the Dynamo Camp on the results obtained by the Art Factory for children and youth affected by serious pathologies, which will be available in 2018.
An ambitious cultural and artistic project was undertaken in 2017 to sensitize the public at large to the culture of inclusion and overturn the collective image of disability as an insurmountable obstacle to artistic and human expression. The Art of Diversity Academy and Allegro Moderato began collaborating to develop the Otello Circus, a re-elaboration of Verdi’s Othello – the first operatic-theatrical work performed by actors and musicians with disabilities, the debut of which is foreseen for 2018.
Abroad, in partnership with Alta Mane Geneva, the Foundation supported, among others, two interesting projects in the sector of sensitization and exchange. The Cre-Arte Association organized an important international festival on art and disability in San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina, in which three Italian associations were able to participate and provide relevant artistic contributions: the Art of Diversity fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 5
Academy, Allegro Moderato and Zero Favole, with Babilonia Theatres, described on page 24 in Focus 2017.
This same year, the missions of partner associations Phare Ponleu Selpak (Cambodia) and Fekat Circus (Ethiopia) continued as an integral part of an exchange programme which began in 2016 with the aim to develop the self- sustaining capacities of these two associations, which are involved in social circus activities for marginalized youth.
In general, there was a progressive insertion of young migrants and second-generation immigrants in 2017 in the artistic and social activities of our partners. Along with projects specifically aimed at unaccompanied minors and young migrants (Save the Children Italy’s Spazio Civico Zero, Laboratory 53 and Asinitas) other projects, such as Matemù (CIES), the Little Orchestra of Torpignattara, ZeroFavole, Punto Zero, Officine Gomitoli, Olinda and the Arteducation House involved youth from different cultures and backgrounds, testifying to the continual transformation of our society, which is becoming markedly multiethnic and inclusive in these types of initiatives.
Maria Teresa Scassellati Sforzolini
ATELIER DELL’ERRORE, Italy 6 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
The Foundation
Fondazione Alta Mane Italia (AMI) was established treatment or rehabilitation of hospital patients. by Foundation Alta Mane Geneva (AMG) in October In the hospital context, artistic stimulation gives 2010. It began operations in Italy in June 2011 young patients a chance to experience new forms after obtaining legal recognition from the Rome of often non-verbal expression, facilitating their Prefecture in April 2011 and being inscribed in the relationship with others. Register of Corporate Bodies. Partners are chosen on the basis of priority actions The Foundation’s main objective is to support identified periodically by the Foundation and “projects aimed at improving the conditions or in accordance with extremely rigorous criteria health of people, individuals or groups of individuals, concerning the transparency and managerial as well as youth, living in situations of serious crisis, reliability of the applicant organization, the extreme social difficulty or psycho-social suffering, effectiveness and seriousness of the project, the supporting their development and social, physical, use of specially adapted methodologies and codes recreational, emotional and psychological well being, of conduct and in general the impact of these particularly through experiences and initiatives tied initiatives on beneficiaries. to Art and its applications in the social and medical sphere” (article 2.1 of the Statutes). The Board approves only a limited number of projects each year, since these are followed actively During these early years of activity , AMI has gradually by AMI. Indeed, the Foundation endeavours to meet expanded its range of action on behalf of less the needs of its partners and sometimes also to fortunate young people through fruitful dialogue promote the exchange of experience for mutual with its partners. These are mostly institutions, growth, with careful monitoring of initiatives associations or NGOs working with marginalized including meetings and on-site missions. youth or young people suffering from serious illness through artistic initiatives and workshops. This approach requires a major professional commitment from staff. In order to make the action Artistic activities are usually part of broader and of the Foundation more effective on behalf of its more structured programmes set up primarily within partners, and to ensure the best use possible of youth centres, hospitals, prisons, rehabilitation its human and financial resources, only a limited centres or therapeutic communities for the social number of proposals are submitted each year for inclusion and integration of young people or the examination by the Board.
ALTA MANE SUPRAQUE TUOS EXURGE DOLORES IN FRAGILEMQUE ANIMUM, QUOD POTES, USQUE TENE STAND TALL AND FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN, RISE ABOVE YOUR PAIN AND WEAKNESSES
Publio Ovidio Naso, Consolatio ad Liviam fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 7
Why art
“Culture and the arts are essential components of a comprehensive education leading to the full development of the individual. Therefore, Arts Education is a universal human right, for all learners, including those who are often excluded from education, such as immigrants, cultural minority groups, and people with disabilities.” Road Map for Arts Education, UNESCO, 2006
How is it possible to survive the distress caused by extreme forms of social exclusion, the isolation that often accompanies disability and psychological vulnerability? In the face of the suffering caused by disease, how can the glimmer of resistance and vitality that remains present in the youngest people be recognised and allowed to breathe and develop? Through their careful and committed work to alleviate the hardship and suffering of young people, albeit in profoundly different social and cultural contexts, many of the professionals and organizations supported by AMI in Italy and abroad provide an answer: art. Art helps people find the strength to react to situations of extreme hardship; it makes it possible to tap into what remains of vitality, desire, beauty, freedom, and give them form and space. Art allows experiences that are difficult to put into words to be expressed and communicated, opening up a channel of communication and exchange with other people that in some situations is strongly compromised. The Foundation operates in environments characterised by forms of extreme hardship, where the prospects of children or young people might be annihilated by privation or suffering, and where art offers an opportunity to withstand marginalisation, brings respite and channels inner resources, providing an escape route from pain and oppression, geared as it is towards life and the future. Furthermore, artistic performance gives those living ‘on the margins’ the visibility that is often denied; it allows them to be applauded and seen in a positive and creative role, not one of crime or violence, disability or shortcoming, but of beauty and dignity.
PUNTOZERO, Italy 8 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 9
Mission
Fondazione Alta Mane Italia supports projects aimed at improving the living or health conditions of people, particularly children and youth, in situations of extreme social exclusion or psychophysical suffering, by using artistic experience to foster their recovery and inclusion.
The decision to support projects linked to art rests on the conviction that a strong synergy exists between artistic experience and the therapeutic/ rehabilitative process and social reintegration of people suffering from serious pathologies or experiencing severe marginalisation. By stimulating personal creativity and expression, artistic experience helps build self-esteem, self-confidence and a sense of identity; in many cases it is able to mobilise deep-seated and healing emotions and energy and to trigger important processes of personal and collective change.
The exchange of experience between partners is a source of mutual enrichment, consolidation and improvement of the artistic practices.
The dissemination of experience, including through research and awareness raising, can foster the application of best practices, facilitate the prospects for the future self- sustainability of partner organizations and increase the level of awareness around these issues.
ESCUELA DE LA COMEDIA Y EL MIMO - Guatemala 10 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Strategy
The 5 areas of intervention fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 11
Context of social exclusion
AMI supports projects and organizations that use art in the context of social exclusion to benefit young people facing situations of extreme marginalisation
Therapeutic contexts
AMI supports projects and organizations that use art in therapeutic contexts to benefit young people facing situations of extreme physical and psychological hardship
Awareness raising
AMI supports and carries out communication and awareness-raising activities concerning the transformative power of art among needy youth, mainly connected to the projects of its partners.
Exchanges
AMI promotes exchanges between operators and beneficiaries of partner projects
Research and development
AMI promotes and sustains partner organizations involved in research activities, impact evaluation and relative publications and meetings. 12 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
The use of art in the 5 areas
Art and Social Inclusion
Target 1 Young people and children in conditions of social hardship (living in run-down areas, migrants, second- generation immigrants, young prisoners and children of prisoners, ethnic Roma, street children) Aims of the artistic workshops To create an alternative to marginality and life on the streets To promote opportunities for coming together, socialisation and intercultural integration To encourage the young generations to participate actively in culture To spread the principles of legality, civil coexistence and solidarity To offer alternatives involving beauty, legality and openness to the future To create moments of encounter, dialogue, exchange and growth for young people from various parts of the world To facilitate free self-expression and the narration of personal life stories, enabling the young people to process them To promote opportunities for sharing one’s own experience and cultural references with other young people Target 2 Young people and children in conditions of physical and psychological hardship (the physically impaired, young people with mental/cognitive/sensory disorders, or who are suffering the after-effects of coma)
Aims of the artistic workshops To create opportunities for integration between young people on the margins of society To stimulate self-expression and nurture the disabled person’s creativity To promote rehabilitation processes for people with disabilities or severe trauma To nurture the skills and resources of the excluded person To restore dignity and identity to people with impairments
Art and Health
Target Children and adolescents who have been admitted to hospital pediatric units /day hospital / therapeutic communities Aims of the artistic workshops To stimulate the children’s creativity and imagination in order to make diagnosis and treatment as untraumatic as possible for them and their families To give the children and young people a chance to experience the time spent in hospital as an opportunity for learning as well as for receiving treatment To stimulate the young patients to express their emotions and confront the fear linked to treatment creatively and positively To reinforce the young patients’ decision-making, expressive and creative skills To foster the ability to generate dreams, thoughts and prospects To promote socialisation among the children and young people fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 13
The use of art in the 5 areas Art and Awareness raising
Activities Videos produced by AMI, tours, performances, festivals, mainly in support of its partners. Aims of the activities To bring about a change in perception and social conscience regarding certain issues of exclusion To give the young beneficiaries of the partner projects a chance to measure themselves against an audience in order to grow artistically and develop a personal identity To give greater visibility to partners’ initiatives To promote new and inclusive artistic models to the general public To help partner organizations publicise and promote their work, methodologies and results To sensitize individuals and public and private institutions concerning the potential of artistic experience in highly critical contexts To promote knowledge and debate on issues of exclusion within dedicated circuits (festivals, shows, prizes, social networks) Exchanges
Target Operators in contexts of social inclusion, operators in therapeutic contexts, mainly in support of its partners. Aims of the exchanges To stimulate a comparison of the values of partner organizations and the exchange of methodologies and good practices To promote the experience sharing to improve the quality of social inclusion, also by visiting the reciprocal project sites To expand operators’ individual skills as a result of the formation implicit in the exchanges To share difficulties and solutions in order to grow together and promote cooperation between operators To give partners an opportunity to observe their projects from a new perspective and increase their awareness of the work they do To promote the networking of experience acquired in different hospital contexts Research and Development
Activities Research, Publications, Conferences, Impact evaluations
Aims of the activities To promote research into issues relating to art and psychophysical and social suffering To encourage the systemisation of the most relevant experience To identify the most effective methodologies and project experiences through impact evaluation To disseminate the ‘best practices’ to the benefit of an increasing number of beneficiaries and of the entire AMI ‘ecosystem’; in other words, in the “art and disadvantage” sector in which AMI specifically works To provide partner organizations with the tools for evaluating their own activities and improving their services To gather feedback from partners in order to evaluate and improve the work of AMI To account for the way in which AMI’s resources are used through impact evaluation 14 fondazione alta mane italia - rapporto di attività 2017
Stakeholders AMI
AMI has numerous stakeholders: first, operators of partner organisations and the young project beneficiaries; then families, health workers / educators / social workers, public and private institutions, other donors, the performance- and video-viewing public. These are all recipients or beneficiaries of the Foundation’s support or individuals or organisations that are involved or implicated in its institutional activities in some way. AMI’s own staff and service providers and all who assist in accomplishing its mission are also stakeholders. fondazione alta mane italia - rapporto di attività 2017 15
02 - Organizational and Operating Model
PHARE PONLEU SELPAK, Cambodia 16 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Governance & Staff Foundation Board • Maria Teresa Scassellati Sforzolini – Executive President • Giovanni Comboni – Vice President • Cataldo D’Andria – Board Member • Stefano Mazzi – Board Member College of Auditors
• Marco Tani – President • Valeria Pichiorri – Member • Sara Baldassari – Member Project and strategy development area Project evaluation committee: • Maria Teresa Scassellati Sforzolini • Francesca Nazzaro • Giovanni Comboni Technical Management and General Project Coordination:
• Francesca Nazzaro – Director, General Project Coordination • Annalisa Sutera – Project Manager • Laura Danieli – Project Manager • Costanza Mammola – Intern Management and Administration area
• Roberta Giassetti – Chief Operations Officer • Sandra Orebi – Secretarial assistant, management of service provision, initial bookkeeping • Studio Cavalieri – General accounting Consultants
• Avv. Francesco Cappellini – Legal consulting • Studio De Luca - Labour consulting Communication and Image area
• Paola Raguzzi - Studio Pinguino fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 17
Management model AMI’S OPERATING STRATEGY IS BASED ON ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGERIAL EFFICIENCY IN PURSUIT OF INNOVATION, THE CREATION OF SOCIAL VALUE AND THE GENERATION OF IDEAS AND FUNDS FOR SIGNIFICANT CHANGE..
Project and strategy development area
DEDALUS, Italy - Photo E.Morniroli
This strategy finds expression in:
• A lean and flexible structure, aimed at maintaining an efficient relationship between the resources used and the activities carried out • Highly professional and strongly motivated work teams • A management model that tends towards efficiency and maximum transparency in accordance with the laws and best practices in the sector • Ongoing research and training concerning national and international trends in philanthropy in the Foundation’s areas of intervention 18 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Selection process
WHO DO WE SUPPORT?
Non-profit organisations, NGOs, social cooperatives, associations, foundations, in Italy and abroad We do not support for profit organisations or those pursuing political or religious goals, or individuals, with the exception of study grants for young beneficiaries of partner projects that are already supported by the Foundation WHAT DO WE SUPPORT? In contexts of social exclusion: long-term workshops / artistic interventions for children, adolescents and young adults In therapeutic contexts: long-term artistic workshops for children, adolescents and young adults Exchanges: visits to partners’ project sites Awareness raising: videos, tours, performances, festivals, research, conferences, mainly connected to partner projects Research and development: Conferences, research, impact evaluation mainly connected to partner projects HOW DO WE SELECT?
Selection occurs primarily through the active search for quality projects Evaluation of spontaneous applications (not through open calls) Selection of a small number of qualified projects in order to ensure efficient and high-quality project management, given the current AMI staff In 2017, 7% of spontaneous applications were approved HOW DO WE FUND?
Through agreements with partners After screening annual reports and mid-term and year-end financial reports. With constant monitoring of activities by telephone, email and Skype and through meetings and regular missions to project sites
WHERE DO WE INTERVENE?
Contexts of social exclusion characterised by poverty, violence, abuse, lack of educational / cultural services, disadvantaged rural areas, outlying metropolitan areas, run-down urban areas, slums, ethnic Roma camps, prisons, areas characterised by urban violence Therapeutic contexts: hospital wards, day hospitals, therapeutic communities fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 19
Selection criteria
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA
Project proposals that are coherent with AMI’s focus area High artistic / pedagogical / social quality of the project proposal Relevant professional experience of the artists / educators / operators involved Seriousness, competence, reliability of the proponent organisation, thoroughness and transparency of the information provided In therapeutic contexts, respect for the needs of the young patients and of the individual hospital ward High impact potential of the proposed intervention in support of the young beneficiaries
ADDED VALUE FOR SELECTION
New applications of art in degraded social contexts or complex therapeutic settings Beneficiary groups that are particularly vulnerable, overlooked or in emergency situations Innovative forms of artistic language and / or original methodologies Original approach leading to a new way of looking at fragile target groups Quality of the potential future partnership and presence of possible co-funders Potential intervention impact evaluation capacity
FURTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
Degraded and disadvantaged social and / or geographical contexts that are lacking other institutional / financial support Potential for project replication within a network Capacity for research and to systematise experiences, potential to influence the local cultural/scientific context Ability to sensitise institutions and the public on issues of exclusion and to trigger processes of cultural and social transformation Approaches and methodologies that are of interest to other partners and a willingness to share them, also in view of possible exchanges 20 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Operating Modes
ACTIVE RESEARCH
The partner selection process is characterised by an active search for excellence in the sector, in Italy and abroad SELECTION
Not only organisations with consolidated experience but also those that have been recently established and are small in size are considered for selection, providing they are innovative and with a high potential for development DISBURSAL
The Foundation’s support to partners is aimed primarily at nurturing staff skills in order to make the quality of interventions for young people as high as possible PARTNERSHIP/QUALIFICATION
Support to partners involves not only a financial relationship but also creation of a genuine partnership, through a qualifying process lasting on average from 2 to 5 years, also with the aim of promoting possible future self- sustainability EXIT STRATEGY
Gradual exit strategy that is shared by the partner
ATELIER DELL’ERRORE, Italy fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 21
03 - activities and projects 2017 22 fondazione alta mane italia - rapporto di attività 2017
Projects In The First 5 Years Of Activity 2012 - 2016
Projects 2017 23
2017 in summary
ART & SOCIAL INCLUSION
Beneficiaries* ITALY: 2.288 ABROAD: 2.980
ART & HEALTH
Beneficiaries* ITALY: 1.696 ABROAD: 5.000**
TOTAL BENEFICIARIES: 11.964**
TOTAL ARTISTS AND OPERATORS: 230
PARTNER
ITALY: 25 ABROAD: 11 TOTAL: 36
WORKSHOPS HOURS
ITALY: 11.804 ABROAD: 10.255 TOTAL 22.059
*Number of direct beneficiaries of the artistic workshops (according to data collected by partners). In addition to the workshop beneficiaries, there are also beneficiaries of the awareness-raising activities and exchanges, who are not considered in this context. ** The 5.000 beneficiaries of the activities of Fekat Circus in Ethiopia are an estimate, not the fruit of careful data collection and refer to the activities carried out in the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, the biggest in Ethiopia. 24 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Workshop locations - Abroad
MEXICO Vientos culturales CAMBODIA GUATEMALA COLOMBIA ETHIOPIA M’lop Tapang Caja ludica Prometeo Fekat Circus Phare Ponleu Selpak NICARAGUA ZAMBIA Escuela de la comedia y el mimo Barefeet Theatre MADASCAR Bel Avenir
ARGENTINA Cre-Arte ECuNHi
PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN ABROAD, AS WELL AS ART FACTORY IN ITALY, ARE MANAGED IN CO-PARTNERSHIP WITH ALTA MANE GENEVA (AMG): THIS PARTNERSHIP ENTAILS THE SELECTION/MANAGEMENT/MONITORING OF THE PROJECTS BY AMI WHILE THE FUNDS ARE SUPPLIED BY AMG. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 25
Workshop locations - Italy
BRESCIA BOLZANO AVISCO Accademia Arte della Diversità
NOVARA Oltre le quinte MILAN AllegroModerato Bambinisenzasbarre FINALE EMILIA (MO) Formattart Mani Tese BOLOGNA Olinda TURIN Amici di Luca Puntozero Linea d’acqua REGGIO EMILIA Spazio Vita ZeroFavole LIMESTRE (PT) Atelier dell’Errore Dynamo Camp
ROME 21 Luglio Asinitas NAPLES CIES Dedalus Laboratorio 53 Fondazione Pavesi Mani Bianche Roma Musica e altre cose Save the Children Italia
CATANIA LAD
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PROJECTS/ACTIVITIES MANAGED ANNUALLY BY THE 210 FOUNDATION FROM 2012 TO 2017 26 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Focus 2017 “Arte x Igual” Festival Bariloche, Argentina
Art becomes the voice of an artist with disabilities, his means of making an impact, demonstrating what is possible and aiming for a decent future. For people with disabilities, art is the chance to make a mark in this world, which has historically seen them denied their abilities and constantly relegated to what they lack as human beings. (Cre-Arte)
From November 1-10, 2017, thanks to joint support from AMI and Alta Mane Geneva, three Italian Associations (AllegroModerato of Milan, Accademia Arte della Diversità of Bolzano and ZeroFavole of Reggio Emilia with Babilonia Theatres) who have been AMI partners for many years, participated in the international art and disability festival (music, dance, theatre, painting) organized by Cre-Arte in Bariloche (see profile pag. 65). An Association for youth and adults with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities, Cre-Arte was founded in San Carlos de Bariloche in 1995. It offers professional artistic courses to approximately 65 young adults with disabilities. Since its foundation, Cre-Arte has fought for the recognition of the rights of people with disabilities in Argentina to guarantee them an autonomous, independent life. In particular, Cre-Arte has sought to have the value of artistic work undertaken by people with disabilities recognised. The Arte X Igual Festival has been organized by Cre-Arte, an AMI and AMG partner since 2009, in San Carlos di Bariloche since 2008. Cre-Arte designed this festival to be a movement, a process of dialogue, debate and exchange between artists, disabled people, agencies promoting inclusion and integration and civil society in a space providing opportunities for disabled artists. With the Arte X Igual Festival, Cre-Arte aims at professionally promoting artists with disabilities, providing new, quality cultural circuits and involving them in existing ones both in Argentina and the rest of the world in order to increase their chances of being inserted both socially and professionally as well as helping them discover their hidden artistic abilities.
THE 2017 FESTIVAL IN NUMBERS
120
participating artists
3000 SPECTATORS
total performances and exhibitions
5 PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Bolivia fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 27
The Italian Associations contributed to the Festival with performances and concerts in the main theatres and auditoriums of the city, by undertaking workshops, participating in meetings and conferences and through the exchange of experience, methodologies, vision and perspectives in the sector of artistic work by people with disabilities, along with the recognition of their personal and professional abilities. During the Festival, the Italian Associations were able to visit the activities being carried out by Cre-Arte in Bariloche and they participated in various meetings to share with the representatives of other associations from various countries.
Accademia Arte della Diversità Orchestra AllegroModerato ZeroFavole
adapted at the local level “Le undertook joint musical sessions put on “Paradise”, performed in impronte dell’anima” (Huellas del with two local orchestras (Orquesta collaboration with Babilonia Theatres, Alma – footprints of the soul), Bicentenario and Orquesta Cofradia) which debuted in Rome as part of translated and co-produced by the and offered musical workshops to the 2017 RomaEuropa Festival. It also Academy and Cre-Arte, offering the disabled Cre-Arte beneficiaries offered a workshop on theatre and professional training to Argentinean and training workshops for local disability for theatre students at the theatrical operators and local youths musicians to be able to carry out Rio Negro University. with disabilities who participated in music workshops for the disabled. “Bariloche was a whirlwind of the adaptation of the performance. “The festival days were very busy, meetings, shared moments, “A mark was left, a mark remained. intense and tiring but it was clear exchange, rich emotional experiences We have come back with the benefit from the start that the results of all and a starting point for human and of having engaged with the high this work would be a treasure-trove professional reflection. The “Arte X social value that Cre-Arte succeeds in of discovery and enrichment (both Igual” Festival was, most especially, bringing to Bariloche, nourishing (not personal and professional), as well as a “human workshop” – or better, a only the art) of many disabled people exchange and connections that would humanity workshop. In Patagonia who, along with their conditions, must not have been possible otherwise. we experienced a performance of life also live relegated to social poverty. The treasure-trove that we shared made up of human authenticity and This is a big project that we hope was not a casual consequence but truth. And beauty. Congratulations will be consolidated and succeed in was made possible thanks to the and thanks to Cre-Arte and AMI/AMG giving an international dimension to determined support for this reality, for having made this unforgettable the experience, not only illustrating such as that provided by AMI and experience possible, which I believe the great amount of work done but AMG, which believed in the value left in many of us the conviction that creating important ties that an ocean of this opportunity and enabled it man can put human qualities into cannot hinder and that can give us the to become a system. It is extremely play for a better future. There is hope! idea that artistic “brotherhood” has important and enriching to know Often, looking around us, we forget many names and, especially, many that AllegroModerato is part of this that.” faces.” system.” (ZeroFavole) (Accademia Arte della Diversità) (AllegroModerato) 28 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Objectives reached by the Arte x Igual Festival
Participation of Italian Associations in the Festival Arte X Igual has contributed to:
reinforcing the institutional role of Cre-Arte;
offering training opportunities for operators, beneficiary youth with disabilities and socio-economic disadvantages, university students and artists who participate in the Festival;
enabling its own operators and beneficiaries to benefit from experimenting with forms of autonomy for families as well as experiencing something unique and unrepeatable;
sharing of methodological approaches with groups that are working with the melding of art and disability as a means for intervention and change;
capitalising on the dedication and work of its own artists by bringing them into a unique, valuable and unrepeatable context;
obtaining wider exposure thanks to participation in an international festival in Argentina.
All the photographs of the “Arte x Igual” Festival are by Sofia Leiva Quiroga fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 29
Activities and Projects 2017
01 Art & Social Inclusion
Projects in Italy 30-47 Projects abroad in co-partnership with AMG 48-57 02 Art & Health
Projects in Italy (AMI and co-partnership with AMG) 58-63 Projects abroad in co-partnership with AMG 64 03 Awareness raising
Projects in Italy 65-66 Projects abroad in co-partnership with AMG 67 04 Exchanges
Projects abroad in co-partnership with AMG 68
05 Research & Development
Projects in Italy 69-70 30 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 Art and Inclusion - Italy
Amarò Foro Objectives Assisting Roma and non-Roma minors living in Rome to emerge from the isolation of marginalization and accompanying them towards full knowledge of being active citizens, with rights and responsibilities and the capacity to critically interpret reality. Assisting the emergence of their desires and the valorisation of their human potential.
Beneficiaries 30 Roma children between the ages of 8 and 12 who live in the area of Tor Bella Monaca and in the shanty town on Via Salone in Rome; non-Roma children of this area.
Activities Since September 2016, the Association 21 Luglio, along with other groups in the Tor Bella Monaca area, have been entrusted by the city of Rome to manage the “Ex Fienile” Centre, provided to the neighborhood as an educational and cultural centre for the area. The Amarò Foro project offered Roma and non-Roma minors from the area and the nearby shanty town of Salone two artistic workshops as opportunities for meetings and exchanges to alleviate the strong social tensions and disarm the conflicts present among the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. A group of educators, cultural mediators, artists and specially trained art educators carried out street education and workshops in break dancing and music at the Ex Fienile four afternoons a week. Also, the children and youth involved in the project visited the city of Rome to get to know and “conquer” their own city, with its historical-artistic wealth to which they do not normally have access. The project provides a “pedagogy of citizenship” which centres on Roma minors and adolescents, who experience inequality, exclusion and marginalization in the Roma camps and the youth living in extreme marginalization in the Tor Bella Monaca area. The youth undertake individual and group studies for citizenship, learning about rules respecting others, creative and emotional expression through art, self-awareness and acceptance of themselves and others as individuals wishing to be free to dream and be happy.
Partner 21 luglio This Association was founded in Rome in 2010 to safeguard and promote the rights of children and fight against all forms of discrimination and intolerance in the face of diversity, in particular as regards the Roma population in Italy. The Association carries out activities to raise awareness and research the conditions of Roma camps and their rights violations, pressuring institutions via appeals, campaigns and legal actions to protect children’s rights. The 21 Luglio Association has been supported by AMI since 2013. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 31
Art Education 2.0 at the MaTeMù Objectives Promotion of inclusion and social integration of immigrant children and adolescents and the facilitation of intercultural dialogue by means of artistic workshops.
Beneficiaries 300 youths between the ages of 11 and 25 who frequent the CAG MaTeMù.
Activities MaTeMù is a CIES youth centre located in the Esquilino quarter of Rome where many immigrants from all over the world congregate. It is a laboratory for ideas and initiatives where youths from various cultures and places can spend their free time experimenting with their creativity in a place where differences are seen as values and stimuli for the exploration of new opportunities. Music is a powerful instrument for integration and communication, enabling people to overcome many of the limits imposed by social conflict and intolerance. In 2017, the project provided various artistic workshops – urban dance, music (percussions, strings, saxophones), voice and rap and interdisciplinary workshops such as Stepping Rap, Poetry Slam & Impro, Drum & Dance - operating every afternoon at the CAG MaTeMù. Over time, a process of socialization has occurred that has resulted in the creation of a group called the “Matemusik Band,” proof that artistic expression works as a draw and a catalyst of energy and positive motivation.
Partner CIES This NGO was born in 1983 to contribute to the reduction of the North-South divide and carry out research concerning a new balance founded on peace and the equitable distribution of the world’s resources. In Italy, it promotes, in particular, intercultural values to foster the successful integration of immigrants and refugees; abroad, it supports development cooperation programmes. CIES has been supported by AMI since 2013. 32 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
ArtEducazione House Objectives Support for the continuation and the development of the artistic workshops at the ArtEducation House in Zone 2 of Milan.
Beneficiaries 274 children between the ages of 11 and 18, with particular attention and involvement of those with the greater risk of social exclusion, dropping out of school, and social, economic, family and cultural disadvantage.
Activities The ArtEducation House of Milan was created in 2015 from a collaboration between ForMattArt, Progetto Axè Italy, Tempo per l’Infanzia Cooperative, Education department of the Municipality of Milan, ICS Giacosa and Turin University at the Rinaldi secondary school of Milan. The ArtEducation House intends to promote integration and social cohesion among the children in Zone 2, a densely populated area with the highest percentage of foreign residents, through the provision of artistic workshops for at-risk children and teenagers (foreign minors and all children in Zone 2 from difficult backgrounds such as bullying, drugs, drop- outs, poverty, crime and violence). The ArtEducation House uses Projeto Axé pedagogy, which was developed in Brazil and considers art a powerful pedagogical choice to work with youth, especially those with problems. In its start-up phase the project dedicated a section on theoretical activities for teachers and social workers based on ArtEducation training and Axé “Pedagogy of Desire”, and a section dedicated to practical activities focused on art for the youth of the neighbourhood via the first artistic workshops in the Rinaldi middle school. In 2017, the project offered 6 art workshops (Afro Dance, Hip Hop, Percussions, Guitar, Singing, Visual Arts), each one afternoon a week; as well as artistic workshops to about 8 classes of secondary public schools (in the morning) and the direction of internal and external events to the House. Moreover, the project foresaw activities outside the House (in the school, with families and in the community), and moments of art appreciation with visits to cultural centres of the city. Partner Formattart This Association was founded in 2011 and aims to encourage and support social cohesion and promote social processes through art, culture and the creation of artistic workshops intended for high-risk people. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 33
Atelier dell’Errore Big Objectives Supporting and strengthening through artistic expression the personal resources of young adults who have recently left Children’s Neuropsychiatric services, transforming a social problem into a social wealth. Beneficiaries Approximately 8 youths who have been certified by the Children’s Neuropsychiatric services of the AUSL in Reggio Emilia and the Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, between the ages of 17 and 22. Activities The Atelier dell’Errore BIG project offered young adults who have ended their participation under the care of the Neuropsychiatric services the possibility to engage in art in an “Alta Scuola di Arti Visive” (high school of visual arts) one day a week, morning to evening. The Atelier took place in a big room in the Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, and youths participating in the workshops were able to visit the museum and be inspired by the contemporary works of art exhibited there. At the Atelier, beneficiaries work with pencils, coloring pens, highlighters, chalk and huge sheets of white paper. The only thing missing are erasers. Over time, simple rules have been established: “no erasing” and “only draw animals,” so there are no mistakes in the drawings made by the young artists that have been diagnosed with psychiatric and psychopathological illnesses. Whatever the outcome, the result is always greeted as a transformation of “mistakes” into a necessary step towards the final product. Artistic activities are a big discovery for many children, who find they love to draw and often reveal extraordinary talent. Drawing, expressing their interior landscape their own way and in their own time without being evaluated or judged or (as has been the case for so many) excluded, enables these children to feel rewarded and valued for who they are. On occasion, young adults who have worked with the Atelier dell’Errore in Bergamo are taken to the Association of the Atelier dell’Errore BIG in Reggio Emilia. The Association has exhibited works created by the children through exhibits, installations and demonstrations in prestigious, international contemporary art venues, museums and hospitals.
Partner Atelier dell’Errore This Association was born in Reggio Emilia in 2011 to provide children and youth from the Children’s Neuropsychiatric services of the AUSL in Reggio Emilia and the Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, workshops of a high cultural and artistic value that complement their care. 34 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Awakenings Theatre Objectives Social integration and rehabilitation of people with coma-induced consequences or serious brain damage to help them “awaken” and communicate, know themselves and make themselves known.
Beneficiaries 1 - Approximately 10 young patients at the Luca De Nigris Casa dei Risvegli between the ages of 16 and 25 in a vegetative or minimal consciousness state, 2 - About 20 youths involved in post-coma rehabilitation who have been discharged and risk social isolation. Activities 1 - Theater for patients undergoing therapy at the Casa dei Risvegli and for those who have been discharged, young people in vegetative and minimal consciousness states in post-trauma rehabilitation, to help their “awakening” and return to consciousness. This is a clinical/therapeutic activity that involves various forms of theater personalized for individual patients. Each session involves activating different sensorial capacities simultaneously through various forms of theater that result in physical, psychological and emotional stimulation. In 2017, activities included reading texts, narrating with objects, puppets, stuffed animals, shadow play, videos and slides, the use of tactile materials, smells, colored lights, music, sounds and anything else that can be used in theater. 2 - Theater for patients with coma-induced consequences that have been discharged and risk social isolation. Theatrical activities aimed at re-inserting these youths socially constitute an important tool for recovery and self-awareness, an occasion to face and understand their condition and internal world in a context characterized by sharing emotions and feelings to facilitate the rebuilding of an identity that incorporates the results of a traumatic event and rehabilitation. In 2017, the workshop was for youths who have been recently discharged (Dopo…Di Nuovo theater company), and young people who had been home for some time (Gli Amici di Luca company), which in 2012 was involved with the professional theater company Babilonia Theatres in a co-production of Pinocchio, which toured major Italian, Swiss and German cities in 2013 and 2014.
Partner Amici di Luca This Association was founded in 1997, thanks to which in 2004 the “Casa dei Risvegli” was born – an innovative public rehabilitation and research centre of the public health services in Bologna for people in post-acute vegetative states with the potential to improve. The centre integrates medical treatments – rehabilitation, psycho-pedagogical work, volunteer training and innovative technologies. The Association also publicises and sensitizes people about this sector and trains qualified volunteers. Amici di Luca has been supported by AMI since January 2012. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 35
CivicoZero Rome and Milan Objectives Promoting the social inclusion and integration of immigrant youths and adolescents, and facilitating intercultural dialogue via artistic workshops.
Beneficiaries Approximately 560 foreign minors and young adults who frequent the CivicoZero Day Centres in Rome and Milan and are socially marginalised, facing risk and abuse. Activities The CivicoZero Centre was started in Rome in 2008 by Save the Children Italy to provide protection to the immigrant youths that have found themselves in situations of social marginalisation, to minors that are part of the juvenile justice system and minors risking exploitation and abuse, by working to improve their living conditions and promote their rights. The project operates both in the streets and in specific locations (such as the CPA, USSM, penal communities and juvenile court) and undertakes activities at the CivicoZero Day Centre, where it offers low-cost services and provides artistic workshops. The project uses art as a way to provide the youth with a way to re-elaborate their personal experience and, particularly, the trauma that many of them have experienced. In 2017, the CivicoZero Centre of Rome project, supported by AMI, provided various workshops: creative writing and oral traditions, music (guitar and drums), expressive theatre and photography/videos. Organized visits have been held to cultural sites as well as exhibitions and events. In 2017, AMI also supported the activities conducted at CivicoZero in Milan, giving continuity to “Karagoz. The shadow of my Griot”, an audio-visual workshop that recounted the stories of the children using Shadow Theatre, experimenting with new artistic languages and new ways of expression. The artistic- creative workshops provided minors a place to be themselves and express their own ideas in a language of their choosing, respecting reciprocal rights and obligations. This experience of freedom and acknowledgement resulted in greater well- being. By availing themselves of the instruments at their disposal, the minors can improve their comprehension and self-protection in order to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence.
Partner Save the Children Italy Founded at the end of 1998 as a non-profit, this organization began activities in 1999. It undertakes activities and projects for children from so-called developing countries who live in Italy. 36 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Dancing Behind the Scenes Objectives Enhance skills and develop new possibilities for expression by vulnerable people and the professionals who assist them; fostering the participation of 8-10 people in a major choreographic work realized by Virgilio Sieni with the participation of approximately 150 people (professional dancers and citizens between the ages of 10 and 80) in areas not designed for dance. Beneficiaries 20 young adults (about half of whom with disabilities in the care of the Territorial Handicap Educational Service of the city of Novara) between the ages of 16 and 39, members of the ArtEssenziale Dance Company. Activities The Oltre le Quinte Association was born in 2016 based on 20 years of experience garnered from artistic workshops offered to vulnerable people by the Social Services of the City of Novara (ComuneArte), which in 2000 created the ArtEssenziale Dance Company, composed of about 30 people made up of professional teachers, volunteers, vulnerable youth and integrated arts professionals. The Company aims to propose culturally significant artistic forms that engender a concrete pathway for inclusion. In July 2016, five members of the Company participated in the Altissima Povertà event organized by the choreographer Virgilio Sieni (director of the Venice Biennial – Dance Sector 2013-2016) at the Reggia di Venaria in Turin. In 2017, this project, supported by AMI, integrated the dance workshops with new conductors and modalities of work coming from the triennial (2015-2017) “La Piattaforma” project, including new groups and new views from contemporary community dance, among which choreography-dance movement therapy already involved in the Altissima Povertà project. The project also provided two intensive workshops on the communication of gestures with the presence of the choreographer Virgilio Sieni and the presentation of two events in Novara (Altissima Povertà and Di fronte agli occhi degli altri) with the participation of the members of the Oltre le Quinte Association.
Partner Oltre le quinte Born in August 2016, this Association is composed of a group of experts from diverse professions experienced in the integration of artistic pursuits (orchestral music therapy, dance, theatre and therapeutic art) in workshops aimed for vulnerable people at the Social Services of the city of Novara. photo Maurizio Tosi photo fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 37
Generating Aspirations through theatre Objectives Promoting access to culture and active participation in cultural projects for youths who live on the outskirts of Milan, enhancing their ability to experience aspirations.
Beneficiaries Approximately 50 youths and adolescents living on the outskirts of northwest Milan (Comasina area) and frequenting three scholastic institutes as well as public and private services in the area that deal with the mental health of minors.
Activities The Olinda Association transformed the ex-psychiatric Paolo Pini hospital in Milan into a place of culture and meetings where people experiencing social marginalisation or mental health problems find welcome, voice and social and cultural inclusion. Along with a hostel, a coffee shop and various associations, the ex- mental institution also houses the La Cucina Theatre where Olinda has been organizing the Up close nobody is normal Festival for 20 years, “confounding distance and investigating difference.” The project aims to offer artistic, high quality theatre in a culturally important context such as the Paolo Pini, aimed at youth living on the outskirts of Milan, which engenders cultural participation, connecting big cultural themes with the life led by the youths, characterized by marginality and cultural poverty. In 2017, three paths of artistic research for adolescents were offered: • The “Non-school”: a theatre workshop in collaboration with the Teatro delle Albe, weekly in the winter and intensive during the summer months (30 consecutive days); • A poetry/singing workshop, in collaboration with the Societas Raffaello Sanzio; and • A sensory workshop, in collaboration with the Teatro de los Sentido. All the theatrical research culminated in performances that were put on during the Up close nobody is normal Festival.
Partner Olinda This Association was born in 1996 at the ex-psychiatric hospital Paolo Pini in Milan aiming at the cultural and social inclusion of socially marginalised people and those with mental health problems. Olinda has created a context for urban regeneration in the ex-mental institution, offering rich cultural experiences and exchanges. It operates within an intercultural approach aiming at adolescents and the new generations. It has been organizing the Up close nobody is normal theatre festival for 20 years. 38 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
RifugiArt Objectives Breaking the isolation experienced by people seeking asylum in Italy, fostering reciprocal trust and familiarity with the country; supporting beneficiaries to consider their experience, behavior and views in order to revitalize their ability to tell their own stories, which has been damaged due to traumatic events and/or inhuman and degrading treatment; raising the awareness of citizens regarding forced migration. Beneficiaries Approximately 90 young adults that have requested asylum and political refugees, some of which are victims of torture. Activities Laboratorio 53 organizes mutual self-help groups in Rome, formed by refugees, particularly those requesting international protection, in order to provide them a space for interaction and self-expression aimed at fostering relationships. The objective is to provide new social relationships and emotional bonds to people running from familial and social conditions at the risk of their lives, in order to build new social support networks based on interpersonal relations, trust and reciprocity. Art is used in these mutual self-help groups both to facilitate communication, which is often compromised by language barriers, and as a universal, immediate and effective means of expression. Art also helps those people who have suffered inhuman treatment, such as torture, with the consequent dehumanization and stripping away of culture, to reconnect with their feelings, define their experience and share their cultural references. The project provided four workshops: Theatre of the Oppressed, art, radio and ludo-pedagogy. These workshops allowed the mutual self-help groups to consider themes central to migration and result in performances made up of narratives, drawings, photos and audio recordings to acquaint the public with the theme of migration through the voices of asylum seekers. Partner Laboratorio 53 This Association was founded in Rome in 2008 by lawyers, social workers, cultural mediators, psychologists and anthropologists with the aim to offer asylum seekers and refugees assistance and welcome via multidisciplinary activities. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 39
Rulli Frulli Band Objectives Training four adult members of the Rulli Frulli Band to be music teachers as part of the project, which favours the social inclusion of youth, in particular those who are disabled, using percussion instruments.
Beneficiaries 4 adult members of the Rulli Frulli Band, and about 100 children and youth with and without physical disabilities, between the ages of 6 and 30.
Activities The Rulli Frulli Band is a musical project for inclusion as well as the creative re-use of recyclable materials to create musical instruments. Since 2010, about 70 youths between the ages of 8 and 30, among whom 15 are disabled, have been getting together weekly in Finale Emilia to build musical instruments with recyclable materials and play percussion instruments under the guidance of the orchestral director of the C.G. Andreoli School of Music. Every year since 2013 the Band gives concerts throughout Italy for several months. The Band was an important occasion for getting together and socializing after the earthquake that hit Emilia in 2012, thanks to the support provided by Mani Tese Finale Emilia, and over time became a reference point for vulnerable youths on the part of the Child Neuropsychiatric service. The project supported by AMI in 2017 offered the possibility for the Band to grow by allowing four adult members who have been a dedicated part of the Band for a long time to acquire a more active role by assisting teachers, also in order to spread this experience to other Italian cities. Partner Mani Tese This Association was founded in 1964 to combat hunger and the imbalance between the North and South of the world. It undertakes international cooperation projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America along with initiatives aiming at sensitization and economic solidarity in different Italian locations. 40 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
So(g)no un Teatro Objectives To develop relational and communication competencies, self awareness and trust in others in order to help people with a high risk of marginalisation and exclusion to fully develop their potential and become active members of their communities. Beneficiaries 25 young prisoners and ex-prisoners, minors detained in alternative structures, young citizens from the Puntozero schools and company between the ages of 16 and 25.
Activities
The “So(g)no un Teatro” project is carried out in the “C Beccaria” Juvenile penitentiary and involves the prisoners as well as youth from the outskirts of Milan at a high risk of marginalisation and deviance. From 1998, the Puntozero Association has been undertaking professional theatrical workshops inside the penitentiary aimed at the social reinsertion of difficult cases (both as actors and technicians) through a professional, experimental and highly innovative approach. In 2015, with the support of the Marazzina Foundation, Cariplo Foundation, the Piccolo Teatro Foundation and the Teatro alla Scala of Milan, Puntozero completed the remodeling and operationalizing of the penitentiary theatre (seating 200), transforming it into a place for active involvement on the part of citizens and cultural pluralism. In 2017, the “So(g)no un Teatro” project staged a new edition of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The trainers, either alone or in couples, depending on the didactic phase, prepared both actors and technicians to support the performance (lights, audio, sets), also in collaboration with volunteer technicians from the Piccolo Teatro Foundation of Milan and the Teatro alla Scala. Partner Puntozero This non-profit Association was founded in 1995 in Milan and produces theatrical work involving artists, social workers, technicians, students, volunteers, ex-prisoners and citizens who aim to combat the phenomenon of social disadvantage and juvenile deviance. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 41
Talent at the Officine Gomitoli Objectives The start of artistic workshops to guarantee young and adolescent Italians and immigrants stable opportunities for inclusion and expression through creative and expressive activities undertaken in the “Officine Gomitoli” Intercultural Centre. Beneficiaries 192 adolescents and young Italians and immigrants (second generation, new arrivals and unaccompanied minors) living in fragile or socio-economically or culturally deprived or deviant situations in Naples. Activities The project began artistic workshops at the “Officine Gomitoli” Intercultural Centre, a place dedicated to the promotion of youth rights, the valorization and enhancement of their skills and professional and creative abilities. This space, inaugurated in June 2016, comprises various businesses and is located in the historic centre of Naples in an ex-woolen mill from Bourbon rule in Porta Capuana, an area where many immigrants live and the object of an urban regeneration plan (UNESCO world heritage site). In 2017, the project promoted the start up of two artistic workshops: a theatrical workshop aimed at an exchange of stories, memories and dreams among people from European countries and abroad; and a photographic workshop to narrate different cultural identities of people and places, using images to narrate stories, biographies and contexts in order to produce culture and exchange, and highlight political, urban and social lacunae, aiming to recuperate the stories and memories of places and the people that inhabit them. The project also provided continuity to the artistic and creative workshops already undertaken by the Officine Gomitoli, such as the workshop dedicated to nature watercolors and artistic-expressive workshops run by renown international artists. . Partner Cooperativa Dedalus The Dedalus Cooperative has been in operation in Naples for 35 years, carrying out activities involving research on the phenomenon of disadvantage and migration, and offering job training services, refuge and cultural mediation. 42 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
TeatrAle Workshop Objectives Spreading the principles of right to life, civil coexistence, solidarity and legality to the youth of the Sanità district in Naples.
Beneficiaries 30 adolescents and young people between the ages of 16 and 25 that live in the Sanità district of Naples in situations of extreme social marginality and risk. Activities The Sanità district of Naples has the highest rate of crime, organized crime and social marginalization. Young people who live here are barely able to imagine a future outside these confines. The Nuovo Teatro Sanità is the only cultural centre in this area. The Pavesi Foundation, supported by the Con il Sud Foundation and the Charlemagne Foundation, offered free expressive and cultural training workshops as well as lessons in artisanal skills to the youth of this area, small children and their parents. AMI supported a theatrical workshop in this context conducted by the directors of the Nuovo Teatro Sanità aimed at adolescents and youth, also to train them in the theatre arts. The workshop offered free weekly classes in recitation. Through collective theatrical work the aim is to give space to the talents of young people, promote them through professional artistic direction and develop both individual and community sensitivity, dedicating specific attention to the ability to work in a group. The theatre accompanied the growth of the youth living in this area in the context of cultural, civil and social dedication. It helps them discover theatrical narration, which helps them to reflect on their existence as well as “putting them in touch with socially conscious productions and authors to favour greater awareness of the role of every single individual in standing against crime, particularly in the difficult social environment of the Sanità district.”
Partner Alessandro Pavesi Foundation This Foundation was created in 2008 in Naples to promote principles of legality and solidarity among youth, spreading knowledge and respect for sacrosanct human rights and civil coexistence. The Foundation runs an after-school programme in the Sanità district and uses theatre to involve children and youth from the schools in Naples. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 43
The Little Tor Pignattara Orchestra Objectives Promoting social integration and dialogue between Italian and second-generation immigrant youth, providing an opportunity to grow together through music. Beneficiaries Approximately 20 Italian and second-generation immigrant youths between the ages of 12 and 18, some of whom come from difficult socio-economic and family situations, as well as shelters.
Activities The Little Tor Pignattara Orchestra, founded in 2012, is made up of Roman youth hailing from different countries that play instruments from all over the world. These young musicians met two afternoons a week for three-hour sessions in a rehearsal studio in the multiethnic neighbourhood of Tor Pignattara. The youth participated in small groups run by an artistic director who is a professional musician and focuses on musical technique, individual motivation and the work done in a rehearsal studio, as well as the musical and emotional relationship and balance between the members of the group. The older kids, who have been members of the Orchestra since the beginning, have become peer-educators for the younger members, who are inserted into the group both musically and relationship-wise. A psychologist has worked with the young musicians and has maintained a constant dialogue with family members and the people running the shelters from which some of the youth come. The Orchestra has performed for the public, raising people’s awareness with regards to socio-cultural integration.
Partner Musica e altre cose This Association was founded in 2008 to carry out initiatives aimed at the practice, production, diffusion and promotion of culture, music, theatre, cinema and art in general. It provides training in music, performance, promotion and production of cultural projects in Italy and abroad. Musica e altre cose has been supported by AMI since January 2014. 44 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
The policeman and the dinosaur Objectives Support to children of jailed parents through communicative activities based on creativity and games; promotion of expression and control of the children’s difficult-to-express feelings. Beneficiaries Minors between the ages of 3 and 14, the children of inmates at the Opera prison of Milan and the Secondigliano prison of Naples; jailed parents; the families of the prisoners and prison personnel. Activities The project was born to develop and facilitate the relationship between children and their imprisoned fathers, based on the assumption that art is a powerful instrument for the re-elaboration of reality, allowing children and their fathers to create imaginative spaces in which to meet, freely expressing and connecting with their emotions. The artistic activities allow the children of the prisoners to transform the prison into a more familiar place in which to make their mark. The project enables time together between children and their fathers in the context of an art workshop conducted by psychologists, teachers and expert art therapists. In 2017, at the pedagogic area of the Opera prison, the Association organized two drawing workshops a month for two groups of fathers and their children. In this way, the father-child relationship was once again defined by the games and spontaneity provided by art instead of constrained by the stress and pressures of traditional “closed-door” visits. The project also organized two groups for free expression, one for the imprisoned fathers and one for the mothers accompanying children to the prison, for in this way, “drawing frees the relationships and words free emotions”. At the Secondigliano prison the project also provided a weekly drawing workshop for the children waiting to be able to speak to their imprisoned parents as well as an area reserved for father-child meetings through drawing. The professionals at both prisons met periodically for supervision and to share discussions and analysis of the drawings made.
Partner Bambinisenzasbarre This Association was founded in Milan in 2002 to operate in the penal system in psycho-pedagogical support to imprisoned parents with particular attention to their children, facing the imprisonment of one or both of their parents. Bambinisenzasbarre opened “Yellow Places” in prisons (San Vittore, Opera, Bollate and Secondigliano), in application of the Bill of Rights for the Children of Imprisoned Parents, signed in Italy in 2014. The Association has been supported by AMI since July 2014. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 45
Theatre and stories with migrants
Objectives To create a unified poetic aspiration and language for immigrants and Italians in order to foster shared belonging to a hybrid community through theatre, fairy tales, myths and theatrical works that are universal and transcend culture.
Beneficiaries 15 young, foreign women, recent arrivals in Italy under family reunification, girl refugees and asylum seekers, 120 Italian, foreign and second-generation children frequenting the two elementary schools in the Torpignattara area of Rome; 10 Italian mothers and the teachers of the schools involved. 15-20 asylum seekers and refugees between the ages of 20 and 30; 10 young Italian theatre students and/or students of intercultural exchange. Activities This project used theatrical disciplines and oral narrative to give voice to the disadvantage experienced by many vulnerable people: young women who had just arrived in Italy (often for family reunification) and their children, young refugees and asylum seekers. For the young women, the narrative arts are a way to meet and share experiences in order to overcome the sense of upheaval, culture shock, nostalgia and exclusion as a result of socioeconomic marginalisation, sharing their fears and anxieties connected with raising their children alone. For asylum seekers who have just arrived in Italy, theatre is an opportunity to heal broken lives and overcome the traumas of their travels, helping to build a new identity and sense of belonging along with their Italian contemporaries. The foreign and Italian women were involved in the Narramondi workshop at the Miguelim Intercultural Centre managed by Asinitas in Torpignattare. Here, the young women have shared their experiences through oral narratives and fairy tales, myths and stories from around the world one morning a week, using performance art, music, dance and puppets with the help of artists and teachers. These workshops resulted in performances that took place in various parts of the city as well as in the schools their children attend. The children were involved in expressive-narrative workshops through which they were able to see their mothers in a new light, no longer passive and isolated but active members of the community. The young immigrants and Italians were also involved in the Mistero Buffo theatrical workshops at the Italian school run by Asinitas in Via Ostiense, which ended with a performance of a re-elaboration of a work by Majakovskij at some theatres in the city. In this rendition there were the immigrants of today that overcame The Flood as opposed to the working class protagonists of the original. Partner Asinitas This Association was founded in 2005 in Rome in order to foster common ground and coexistence between people from different places, in particular through teaching Italian to immigrants and political refugees. 46 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
White Hands Rome Objectives Promoting access to music for the deaf by creating a chorus that integrates sign language, reducing the fragmentary nature of deafness through musical activities that provide a sense of unity, identity and belonging. Fostering integration between hearing and deaf youth. Beneficiaries Approximately 25 children, adolescents and adults, both deaf and hearing, Italian and foreign, among whom some with psychological-physical disabilities. Hearing and deaf students of the Magarotto ISISS Institute middle and high school in Rome. Activities In 2017, the Mani Bianche Roma Association, at the historical Magarotto scholastic institute of Rome, held afternoon workshops once a week in music and chorus, boy sopranos and sign language singing for deaf and hearing children and adolescents from different cultural backgrounds, including some with psychological-physical disabilities. The project has also involved younger children from the Institute’s middle school via chorus and sign language workshops once a week during music lessons at school. The white hands chorus was directed by professional musicians with the collaboration of a psychologist/sign language interpreter (LIS) and a disabilities expert. This positive musical experience has encouraged the inclusion of children and adolescents with sensory, cognitive, motor and learning difficulties, as well as autistic children and those without disabilities, who all share a condition of social marginalization. Partner Mani Bianche Roma This Association was founded in 2015 by a group of music and disability professionals with the aim of promoting social inclusion via music and song, creating an opportunity for positive experiences of integration for children and youth in urban areas characterized by family, psycho-social and economic problems. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 47
ZeroFavole in School and in Paradise Objectives Engendering meeting and dialogue between differences, people and different conditions through the channels and language of art by exhibiting them in a poetic key, giving value to their beauty and fostering a new perspective to ameliorate fear of the other. Beneficiaries Approximately 20 young adults, among whom those with psycho-physical disabilities and other conditions of social marginalisation; volunteers; theatre workers; teachers and university students; as well as the theatre-going public.
Activities The ZeroFavole theatre was born in 2001 in the context of activities undertaken by the Disability Services of the City of Reggio Emilia, and today is an authentic, independent theatrical company. In 2017, the project has offered high-level “theatre of art” activities for some of the youths who are part of the ZeroFavole theatrical company. The weekly theatre workshop was guided by two theatre professionals with pedagogical competencies who have been working with the group since its founding. The theatre is no longer something to do in one’s spare time but an occasion for high-level artistic production that also directly involves the families of the youths. The project collaborated with renown artists who led the workshops and directed the performances for a certain period of time. The ZeroFavole project is also included in the schools of Reggio Emilia; the non-actor actors conduct the theatrical workshops for students along with the professionals. In 2014, a collaboration began between ZeroFavole and Babilonia Theatres, a brilliant avant-garde theatrical company, which performed Inferno and, in 2016, Purgatorio – performances co-produced together with the Theatres of Reggio Emilia – which debuted as part of the theatrical season, thus gaining access to the world of theatre and culture “for all” not just the “disabled”. In 2017, the project involved the youth of the company in the artistic creation of Paradiso, the last work of the trilogy, accompanied live by the musicians of the AllegroModerato Orchestra. Partner ZeroFavole This volunteer Association was founded in 2010 in Reggio Emilia with the aim to promote the rights and fundamental freedoms of the disabled. Art, and theatre in particular, are the main means the Association uses to create opportunities for people, including self-expression for all, whatever their abilities and appearances. ZeroFavole has been supported by AMI since September 2013. photo Fabio Villa Fabio photo 48 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 Art and inclusion - Abroad - Co-partnership with AMG
Art among Rights Objectives Professional artistic training for youths with mental, sensory and motor disorders through Plastic Art workshops at the Cre-Arte Educational and Cultural Centre located in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche (Patagonia, Argentina). Beneficiaries 65 artists between the ages of 16 and 40 with mental, sensory and motor disorders living in poverty in the slums of San Carlos de Bariloche.
Activities The Cre-Arte Educational and Cultural Centre offers art activities for people with disabilities aged 16 and over. It implements a programme of non-formal education that identifies, strengthens and enhances the various skills and abilities of people with disorders. Cre-Arte presents art as a transformative potential for human development; artistic activities offer the opportunity to develop skills that, in turn, strengthen self-esteem and re-evaluate the person for better social integration. Art is thus transformed into a place where the disabled people acquire voice, obtain social legitimacy and define their identity, strengthening their self-esteem. In 2017, the project involved the undertaking of workshops in plastic art, murals, batik, ceramics, design, literature, sculpture, theatre and dance, as well as a workshop in civics offered to all participants. During the workshops, Cre-Arte promoted ownership and empowerment of people with disabilities on their rights. The project also included the systematization of the work of Cre-Arte with a final publication to disseminate and share with other interested organizations. Since 2012, Alta Mane has supported different Cre-Arte artistic workshops (percussion, murga, dance-theatre, music, costumes and set design) during which the beneficiaries worked on the creation of a real stage show presented to the public in San Carlos de Bariloche and in other cities and countries. Participation in local events and tours allows the young beneficiaries to grow artistically and to recognize themselves as “artists”, increasing individual identity and dignity.
Partner Cre-Arte This Association was founded in 1995 in Bariloche, Argentina, where it established an artistic and cultural space for training and non-formal education of youths and adults with mental, sensory and motor disorders. Here, through art and culture, they are able to develop their skills and express their potential and hidden capacities. Cre-Arte has been supported by AMI in partnership with AMG since 2012. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 49
Arts for Disadvantaged Children and Youth Objectives Foster independence and trust in disadvantaged children through the arts; raise the awareness of families and the community regarding the problem of street children. Beneficiaries 400 Cambodian youths between the ages of 10 and 22 living in conditions of extreme vulnerability, many in the streets, exposed to violence, abuse, health issues, drug addiction, social isolation and discrimination.
Activities
Since 2003, M’Lop Tapang has been providing support to the street children living in Sihanoukville, a major tourist attraction on the southern Cambodian coast. From the beginning, art and music have been an essential part of the organization’s activities – a way to make contact with street children, build a relationship with them, contribute to and increase their self-esteem and trust, and help them overcome the trauma of their past. In January 2016, M’Lop Tapang opened a new arts centre, offering artistic activities free of charge for 400 children living in socially disadvantaged conditions. In 2017, the project supported musical workshops where children can learn to sing and play the guitar, the piano or the drums; circus and acrobatic workshops (aerial arts, juggling, clownery, unicycle riding); and dance workshops, including traditional Cambodian dances – contributing to passing on these traditions to the new generations. While the complicated movements making up traditional dance require a long time to master, the time spent offers an opportunity to develop life skills such as self-discipline and concentration.
Partner M’Lop Tapang This organization was established in 2003 to support the street children of Sihanoukville. Currently, more than 4,000 children and 1,500 families are involved, participating in nine specialized centres in the area of Sihanoukville that offer shelter, medical care, education, sports and art, consultancy, support and protection for families from all kinds of abuse. 50 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Art in the sun and wind Objectives Realization of artistic street workshops in disadvantaged neighbourhoods (colonie) of the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas, Mexico, to support the development of children’s skills, intelligence and creativity.
Beneficiaries 333 children between the ages of 6 and 12 living in the marginalized colonie of Tuxtla Gutierrez in circumstances of extreme vulnerability (alcoholic parents, violence, poverty).
Activities The “Art in the sun and wind” project gets its name from the outdoor workshops set up directly in the colonie on the outskirts of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. In this way, Vientos Culturales aims to reach the most marginalised children, bringing art directly to their streets and carrying out different kinds of artistic activities “in the sun and wind”. In 2017, the project provided weekly workshops (an afternoon workshop of about 3 hours per week in each colonia) beginning with a game that helps children and youths get comfortable and treating a different topic each time (environment, health, science, art, traditions) in order to stimulate their interest in pertinent themes through art. Different artistic practices have been used in the workshops: storytelling, illustration, improvisation, videos, collage, drawing, painting and paper mache. The workshops always end with a song and the children’s general reflections. Once a month, Vientos Culturales also organized artistic activities in the neighbourhoods involved in the project to clean and beautify the community (murals, paintings, various signs), involving parents and adults. At the end of each semester, the artworks made during the workshops have been presented to the community through theatrical events and exhibits, also with the participation of local artists.
Partner Vientos Culturales Vientos Culturales is an association founded in 1996 in Tuxtla Gutiérrez to stimulate disadvantaged children and youths in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, through art. All activities aim at the individual development of the children and youths to stimulate their creativity, broaden their knowledge, improve their critical thinking and promote positive values. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 51
Development of the Centre for Art & Music Objectives Support to the cultural and artistic activities offered by the Centre for Art and Music (CAM) in the city of Tuléar, Madagascar.
Beneficiaries 827 at-risk children and adolescents and 10 educators of the CAM.
Activities The Bel Avenir Centre for Art and Music began operations in January 2012, offering artistic training for children and adolescents already benefitting from social activities and health care provided by Bel Avenir, as well as other youths in Tuléar interested in artistic training. In Tuléar there are no cultural or social programmes aimed at the integration or inclusion of socio-economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth facing child labour, homelessness, drug abuse and child prostitution. This centre represents a safe haven for the beneficiaries, where cultural diversity and exchange are promoted through group artistic pursuits. The artistic activities (clarinet, guitar, Brazilian batucada, Gospel choirs, Madagascan rock, dance, capoeira) take place at the CAM every day of the week. Instruments, materials and rooms are available for students who want to practice alone outside of class. In 2017, Alta Mane supported the strengthening of the artistic and psycho-social support for young people who attend the centre with the purchase of new musical instruments and support to the committees composed of educators and young members of the CAM to coach those students most in need, provide artistic training of educators and psycho-social training for peer-to-peer agents, with an evaluation of the impact of the activities realized. Alta Mane has supported the CAM since 2012 in providing daily music and dance classes, purchasing and maintaining musical instruments, paying personnel, purchasing a minibus for regional and national tours, in the organization of thematic festivals, managed by the students of the Cultural Management course, and in the realization of a training workshop on the use of gigantic marionettes, with the participation of the French artists “Les Grandes Personnes.”
Partner Bel Avenir This NGO was founded in 2003 to promote integrated development of the island. It is part of the Agua de Coco Foundation and undertakes projects in the education, social, health and environment fields. Bel Avenir considers it fundamental to provide the children and youths of Tuléar space and informal educational experience, also to support the integration of marginalised sectors of the young population. Bel Avenir has been supported by AMI in partnership with AMG since 2012. 52 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Gulliver Project Objectives The promotion of social inclusion and integration of children and adolescents from the violent and degraded slums of Medellín (Colombia) through poetry. Beneficiaries 357 children between the ages of 9 and 12 who come from poor neighbourhoods characterized by great socio-economic marginality, enrolled in public schools in Medellín and the province.
Activities Poetry is an artistic instrument with which the group of poets from Corporación de Arte y Poesía Prometeo stimulates the young beneficiaries to look beyond the violence and conflicts that characterize the environment in which they live. In fact, the children of Medellín have for years lived in a particularly violent city. Poetry fosters the development of means to confront, listen and attach value to life, since “poetry is the song that humanizes everybody’s conscience.” In this way, children rediscover coexistence, integration, inclusion and their own personal value as well as that of the group of which they are part. In 2017, the project foresaw the participation of eight members of Prometeo as artists/educators who taught poetry in schools and orphanages; the sporadic participation of artists (musicians, plastic artists, story-tellers) in poetry lessons; the elaboration of audio-visual materials; and the publication of a book with the poetry written by the young beneficiaries. The project has been based on both reading and writing poetry linked to complementary activities such as poetic dialogue, film and documentaries, listening to live music, seeing and interpreting theatrical productions and producing plastic art. All these activities aimed to stimulate the imagination and creativity of the children, helping them to regain the innocence and spontaneity typical of their age but often denied them as they are forced to face a reality that is far beyond their ability to handle.
Partner Corporación de Arte y Poesía Prometeo This Colombian organization was founded in 1993; its objectives and activities concern the creation of poetry and its diffusion as a complement to consciousness-raising activities for both individuals and society through the use of language and poetic action. Prometeo also organizes an important International Poetry Festival, an annual meeting of poets from all parts of the world. Proyecto Gulliver has been supported by AMI in partnership with AMG since 2012. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 53
Joy and expression for social inclusion Objectives Increasing the resilience of vulnerable children and youth in Guatemala City, enhancing their self -esteem and civic participation, and reinforcing their creative, expressive and artistic potential.
Beneficiaries 81 children and youths from marginalised, at risk communities in Guatemala City or living in orphanages; about 300 people whose awareness has been increased through public events.
Activities Caja Ludica fosters processes of sensitization and artistic training for children and youths who are at risk, excluded and stigmatized, with few possibilities to participate in society. Caja Ludica works in the “red” zones of Guatemala, characterized by a climate of violence and intolerance, where there are more than five serious crimes (such as murder, assault, rape, kidnapping) a month. In 2017, Alta Mane supported artistic workshops (theatre, dance, music, body awareness and identity, puppetry, painting, creative writing and public play) in a youth centre located in a marginalised area of the city. Participants also designed and created table games that develop logic and creativity. These workshops complemented formal education by stimulating critical, proactive and participatory thinking in children and youths, engendering a model that can be replicated in other communities. These same artistic workshops have also been provided to children from orphanages to demonstrate the importance of providing play and artistic space as a strategy in psycho-physical growth. Partner Caja Ludica This organization was established in 2000 in the City of Guatemala and bases its work on arts, play and cultural expression to transform the conditions that perpetuate the exclusion of young people, improving their abilities and promoting their creative, critical and active participation in the cultural development of their communities. 54 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
“Las Botellitas”Cultural Centre Objectives Contribute to the reinforcement and diffusion of artistic expression – visual, body and plastic arts – as an integral part of the education of children and youths in the public schools of Granada, using art as a bridge for the social transformation of the participants. Beneficiaries 35 children and young people from less privileged areas of the city of Granada. 20 young people trained in social circus. Activities The Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo began socio-artistic activities in 2001 in Granada with ten children and youths from the disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city, providing training in theatre, mime, clownery, the circus arts, dance and artisanal skills. In 2017, this project, supported by AMI, was aimed to make the Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo a sustainable community artistic-social space where activities focus on the development and strengthening of skills for children and youths in the marginalized areas of Granada and are available on a daily basis. The project trained 20 youths in the circus arts, also with international artists, in order to make them promoters of the Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo and to guarantee the future sustainability of the school. These 20 youths keep the Casa de la Botellitas headquarters of the Escuela open every day for four hours (2 in the morning and 2 in the evening), offering children and youths in the community workshops in the circus arts, acrobatics, dance, theatre, artisanal skills and literature as well as computer courses and English. From 2010 to 2014, AMG contributed to the growth of the Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo by supporting its Swiss partner, EEF. In 2010 it also supported the first edition of the Berrinche Ambiental Festival, that gathered more than 300 street artists from various countries of the American continent. Partner Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo This Association was established in 2001 in support of children and youths from the outskirts of the city of Granada, Nicaragua, undertaking artistic activities in its headquarters, the “Casa de las Botellitas”, and neighbouring schools. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 55
Open Tent Objectives Promote the social inclusion of children living in the communities of Mitre and Independencia (Buenos Aires) and adjoining neighbourhoods.
Beneficiaries 35 vulnerable children between the ages of 6 and 15 living in the communities of Mitre and Independencia (Buenos Aires).
Activities ECuNHi is an artistic-cultural centre founded by the Plaza de Mayo Mothers in the ex-ESMA (Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos), which, during the last dictatorship, was the biggest clandestine detention centre in Argentina. ECuNHi has transformed a place of torture and death into one that promotes art and life – a cultural centre where performances and artistic workshops are held for children and adults. The Carpa Abierta (Open tent) social circus is held here and in the marginalised communities themselves. It is a place of inclusive artistic expression that favours the development of physical, artistic and social skills, promotes group identity, respect and discipline by enhancing self-esteem and the acceptance of self, others and difference. In 2017, the project provided two weekly workshops of social circus in two marginalized communities (Mitre and Independencia) in the province of Buenos Aires. Every two weeks a joint workshop was held for the beneficiaries from both communities to work together in preparation of a show that was performed for the public at the ECuNHi Centre. The project used the circus to enable vulnerable children to experience the transformative power of being part of a group, creating a performance and garnering applause – all of which enabled them to consider themselves part of a different social situation and envision a new future. Partner Amigos de ECuHNi This organization was established in 2011 to promote and support the ECuNHi Cultural Centre’s cultural, social and research activities, as well as the organization of events and the diffusion of initiatives and potential publications. 56 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Pathways Objectives Using theatre as a powerful tool to give voice and a means of expression to the children and youth of Zambia; sensitizing the community to the importance of education for vulnerable children; promoting the breakdown of the social stigma associated with street children, the disabled and HIV affected people. Beneficiaries 316 vulnerable children and youths, living in marginalised communities in Lusaka and 2 other districts (Kitwe and Kabwe), workshop and performance participants, and the public of the Barefeet Youth Art Festival 2017
Activities Barefeet Theatre uses a multi-dimensional approach based on various artistic expressions (theatre, music and dance), psycho-social support, creativity and self-expression (through the “Participatory Process Performance” method) in order to tackle themes or subjects of interest to the young participants, thus sharing their concerns and responding in this way to the needs of vulnerable children living in marginal communities of 2 districts of Zambia (Kitwe and Kabwe). In 2017, the project, supported by AMI, foresaw artistic workshops in 10 shelters for street children located in marginalised communities for vulnerable children and youths, culminating in the production of a performance presented in their respective communities (in public spaces such as markets and squares) and at the Barefeet Youth Art Festival 2017 in Lusaka.. The project also foresaw the realization of street activities, visits and dialogues with street children, identifying their problems and possible solutions (such as reinsertion in families or hosting in rehabilitation centers). During the Barefeet Youth Art Festival 2017, all 40 groups that work with Barefeet presented their performance, which has been prepared during the workshops. This was a unique opportunity for the children to perform for a larger public at the national level along with international artists from around the world, providing them with inspiration from positive role models and the shared enthusiasm for performance.
Partner Barefeet Theatre This organization was founded in 2006 by ex-street children to respond to the difficulties faced by young people living in the streets of Zambia. Through the use of theatre, games and creativity, vulnerable children in Zambia are given the chance for a better life. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 57
Professional Visual Arts school Objectives Support for artistic activities designed to develop the creativity of children, and for the creation of a professional school of visual arts, which would allow the beneficiaries to develop their professional careers in this sector, which is in full bloom in Cambodia. Beneficiaries 455 children and youths (390 taking extracurricular courses and 65 undergoing professional training) from backgrounds characterized by poverty, violence and abuse in the rural outskirts of Battambang.
Activities Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS: “the luminosity of art”) was created in 1986 by nine, young, Cambodian refugees who had taken part in a drawing class offered at the “Site 2” refugee camp on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. When they returned to their country at the end of the terrible Khmer Rouge regime, they created the PPS association to help children express and overcome the trauma of war through art, and to contribute to the reconstruction of their country via the recuperation and recognition of Khmer art and culture. Today, the PPS campus in Battambang hosts renown art schools (circus, theatre, dance, music and visual arts) as well as public, government schools for 900 children, nursery schools and social service facilities to assist disadvantaged children and youth. The project, also supported by French partners – AFD and CCFD – foresaw the consolidation and professionalization of the Visual and Applied Art School (VAAS) begun in 1994. At the new headquarters, inaugurated in November 2015, the VAAS offers free, three-year professional courses to students who are older than 16 and have completed secondary school. The first year is dedicated to instruction in the fundamentals of visual and applied arts. The second and third years focus on a specialization in either graphic design, web design, illustration or 2D animation. During 2017, 35 students participated in an internship in one of the companies selected by PPS with the assistance of a job facilitator who works to foster relationships with professionals and reinforce the communication skills of students. The art school continued to offer art classes to about 400 children in pre-school, elementary and secondary schools, organized as extra-curricular activities, in order to develop concentration, communication and creative thought.
Partner Phare Ponleu Selpak This Association was established in 1994 to contribute to the reconstruction of Cambodia through social action and, particularly, Khmer art and culture. It offers courses in various artistic disciplines such as circus arts, music, visual arts, theatre and dance. 58 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 Art and Heath - Italy
A whole other music Objectives Improving the quality of life of the children who are patients in the pediatric wards of the San Carlo and Niguarda Hospitals in Milan and enhancing relational capacities and the “giving of self” of the musicians with psychological- physical disabilities of the AllegroModerato Orchestra through orchestral music. Broadening and disseminating the project via the training of volunteers. Beneficiaries Approximately 480 children between the ages of 5 and 15 who are patients in the pediatric wards of the Niguarda and San Carlo Hospitals in Milan; 25 AllegroModerato music students between the ages of 15 and 40 with psycho-physical disabilities. Activities The AllegroModerato Orchestra is composed of teachers and musicians, both able bodied and disabled, using a method that enables even those who have never played an instrument to learn to play strings and percussion, actively involving every participant in the execution and elaboration of famous symphonic works. This method enables students to play an instrument without the requisite technical and theoretical knowledge. In 2017, three teachers and four disabled musicians (in a rotating fashion) went to the pediatric wards of the Niguarda and San Carlo Hospitals once a week to conduct two orchestra workshops for the young patients there. They also went to the children’s rooms for individual music lessons for those who cannot get out of bed. The disabled musicians acted as tutors; not only do they play the instruments but they show the children how to hold them, pluck the strings, create a vibrato, etc. Along with the children who are patients, nurses, parents, social workers and even doctors were invited to take a few minutes to try out a bass drum, pluck the strings of a harp or just listen. The music gave the ward a pleasant social atmosphere among the patients, their families and the hospital employees, providing the children a stimulating, educational and creative time during their stay. Playing in the pediatric hospital has also allowed the young, disabled musicians to experience volunteer work taking care of children and forgetting, for the duration of the workshop, their own state of vulnerability. The project provided theoretical and practical training for volunteer musicians, enabling the project to play a role in specific formative-educational protocols inside the hospitals.
Partner AllegroModerato This Cooperative was founded in 2011 by teachers and experts in special musical education, music therapy and rehabilitation with the aim of promoting musical training for people with psycho-physical vulnerabilities, firmly convinced that this activates and generates energy and emotional, cognitive and relational competence that the musicians can carry over to their daily lives. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 59
Cartoons in the wards Objectives Transforming the time spent in a hospital environment into occasions for growth, discovery, socialization and self expression through the production of cartoons. Beneficiaries
Approximately 150 children between the ages of 4 and 17 in the children’s hospital of Brescia along with their parents and the health and socio-educational staff of the wards. Approximately 570 of these children’s classmates. Activities AVISCO organizes cartoon production workshops for children hospitalized in the pediatric, orthopedic, trauma, pediatric surgery, children’s neuropsychiatric, oncohematology and otolaryngology wards of the Children’s Hospital in Brescia. Using a nursery rhyme, a comic book or a melody as a stimulus, the children pick a little story, a character or a phrase as the subject of their cartoon, which they produce by using strips of colored paper, clay or sand which is set inside a box that is connected to particular technological instrumentation. The children can also create a soundtrack to go along with their cartoons by recording music and their voices. This engaging activity favours socialization and well-being, helping to give substance and voice to a child’s internal world also through the use of new technology. In 2017, the project also foresaw showing these ward cartoon movies, giving young patients the chance to see cartoons of a high artistic and educational level. The workshop offers children and their families the opportunity to experience their hospital stay in a fun and educational manner while they are being treated. At the end of the workshop the professionals invited the children and their families to an exhibition day, during which they projected the cartoons created by the children and gave their authors a DVD collection of their work. Musicians, poets and writers donate content, often unpublished, to the children for use in their cartoons. Since 2016, the project has built a bridge between the children in the hospital and their classmates thanks to a written competition entitled “Cartoons from the classroom to the hospital wards”, in the schools attended by the young patients, enabling the children in the hospital to use material contributed by their classmates as stimulus for their cartoons. In 2017, the project also trained volunteers in order to develop and grow Cartoons in the wards.
Partner AVISCO This Association was founded in 1986 to research, experiment and update audio-visuals in the scholastic and socio- educational setting. AVISCO organizes guided courses on cinematographic literature, audio-visual production workshops and photography for children, and training and refresher courses for teachers and educators. AVICO has been supported by AMI since 2013. 60 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Convergences Objectives Providing a creative space integrated within the health care of children and youth at the Children’s Neuropsychiatric Day Hospital in the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin.
Beneficiaries Approximately 8 minors between the ages of 7 and 16 who are patients at the Regina Margherita Hospital Children’s Neuropsychiatric Day Hospital as well as epileptic children.
Activities At the Day Hospital, an art therapist led artistic workshops to promote the personal expression and creativity of the young patients attending the daily psychiatric services 7 hours per day, as well as in the hospital school. Artistic activities include the use of pencils, crayons, water colors, clay and other sculptural and pictorial materials to promote the expression of emotion, increase self-esteem, defuse aggressive behavior and assist in the definition of each child’s individuality within the group. Artistic expression has also allowed the sharing of emotions and experiences with one’s peers and therapists. The workshop took place once a week for two hours. Activities began with individual expression in art and ended with a group period defined by the participants as “the melee”, which foresees involvement in a group project. Individual artistic activities were also provided for epileptic children and youth with more serious problems who are unable to participate in group activities. Art therapy was supervised by a psychologist with experience in art therapy and was integrated in the general care of these minors via constant exchange and dialogue with other members of the medical team.
Partner Linea d’Acqua This art therapy Association was founded in 2016 by professional neuropsychiatrists, art therapists and psychoanalytic psychotherapists aiming to integrate health care with artistic activities and experiences for overall well-being. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 61 Co-partnership with AMG
Dynamo Art Factory & Alumni Objectives Enabling sick children to express their fears and emotions in a creative and positive fashion, which allows them to experience immediate happiness and satisfaction for the work created during the artistic workshops. Assisting two youths who participated in the Dynamo Camp find their own artistic direction, supporting their aspirations and passion for the artistic field and offering them work with the Art Factory. Beneficiaries 720 children and youths between the ages of 6 and 17, among whom 540 with illnesses that require invasive and long- term therapy, as well as 180 healthy brothers and sisters. Two alumni who participated in the past in Dynamo Camp recreational therapy and reached adulthood, thus no longer eligible for the sessions, can become part of the LIT (Leaders in Training) programme of the Art Factory. Activities Dynamo Camp is a camp that is open year around and welcomes children affected by serious and chronic illness who are out-patients or in remission, as well as disabled children (with neurological, neuromotor and rare pathological conditions) and their siblings and parents. Dynamo Art Factory is one of the camp’s special projects, the creative heart of a vacation during which the children and adolescents, as a group, spend entire afternoons creating, designing, cutting, pasting, modeling and coloring. Every summer, renown contemporary Italian and international artists contribute with their creativity and talent to a project that involves the youths directly. The artist begins by giving them a creative “challenge”, which is then taken up by each in a different way, resulting in a special emotional and artistic experience. At the end of each session, the result is a single piece of work that bears the artist’s name and illustrates the emotions of the children. In 2017, the project provided 8 artistic workshop sessions of 9 days each. Children between the ages of 6 and 13 participate only one afternoon while those between 13 and 17 years of age participate more than once. Alta Mane also supported the participation of two youths in the LIT (Leaders in Training) programme. One of them assisted staff in selecting artists, planning activities for children and youths and preparing daily activities with the artists; the other one assisted the artists during work in the studio, for logistics and preparation of exhibits and demonstrations Partner Dynamo Camp This Association was created in 2007 and is part of the Serious Fun Children’s Network, an international network founded by Paul Newman in 1988 to contribute to the improvement of the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families. Dynamo Camp is located in the WWF oasis in Tuscany, which was inaugurated in 2007, and is the only Recreational Therapy facility in Italy designed to host minors whose lives are compromised by illness. 62 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
LADoro Objectives The realization of a creative space for young cancer patients and their families to express through art and imagination the anguish and dysfunction experienced as a result of illness in order to prevent the long-term effects of the trauma of a diagnosis of cancer.
Beneficiaries Approximately 150 children and adolescents, patients at the Unità Operativa di Ematologia e Oncologia Pediatrica dell’Ospedale Policlinico di Catania (Pediatric Hospital of Catania), as well as about 70 parents. Activities The Albero dei Desideri Association uses the principles of Art Therapy to render the diagnosis of cancer and the subsequent treatment less traumatic for the children and their parents, stimulating their creativity and imagination as a way to react in a dynamic and vital fashion to the inevitable stasis engendered by a diagnosis of cancer. Three times a week, individual and group creative workshops are held at the pediatric hospital in Catania in close collaboration with the hospital doctors for the young patients and their families. Upon admittance, when parents and children must face the delicate diagnostic procedures, creative activities help to ground them in their family units and stress their individual capabilities to prevent the long-term traumatic effects of the diagnosis of cancer. Throughout their stay at the hospital the artistic activities help the children keep up their sense of freedom and control, enabling them to be the protagonists of their reality and keeping at bay “the sickness growing inside that seems never to abandon body or thought” (LAD). The workshops included drawing, collage, creative imagination, ceramics, video and photography, social networking and journalism/publishing. Partner LAD This Association was founded in 2010 by a group of psychologists at the UO di Ematologia ed Oncologia Pediatrica del Policlinico of Catania to introduce creativity and imagination in the “Cure & Care” of young cancer patients and their families as a means to express the anguish and dysfunction associated with the illness. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 63
Meeting Art, living again Objectives Fostering a reconstruction of identity and self-image for children and youth affected by Spina bifida and spinal cord injuries through artistic activities that enable them to invest energy, emotions and projects in the outside world. Beneficiaries About 40 children and youth between the ages of 5 and 19 affected by Spina bifida and spinal cord injuries or other pathologies at the Niguarda Hospital wards in Milan, as well as territorial entities dealing with disability.
Activities The multifunctional Spazio Vita Centre was opened at the Niguarda Hospital by the AUS Niguarda Association and the Niguarda Spina Bifida Association (ASBIN) to host people with spinal cord injuries, Spina bifida and other physical disabilities in a pleasant environment used as a meeting place and for workshops and training courses. The Centre offers services aimed at social integration, play, exchanges, training and job preparation as well as the possibility to engage in various forms of art to assist in recuperating from disadvantage and foster the growth of children and young adults. Children with spinal cord injuries find themselves in a situation in which they need to rebuild their identity and self image, and re-invest their energies, feelings and projects in the outside world. Art represents a meeting place between subjectivity and the outside world in a creative and positive way, and helps develop the capacity to forge dreams, thoughts and projects for oneself and the world, thus enabling the beneficiaries to “live again.” The project provided workshops for small groups of varying ages in painting, ceramics and expressive games.
Partner Spazio Vita Niguarda The Cooperative was born in 2013 based on the long-standing experience of the AUS Niguarda Association and the Niguarda Spina Bifida Association to offer people with spinal cord injuries and Spina bifida, and their families, socially integrating activities and services concerning all aspects affecting the quality of their lives. Spazio Vita has been supported by AMI since 2014. 64 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 Art and Health - Abroad Co-partnership with AMG
The Smile’s Medicine Project Objectives Improving the physical, mental and emotional well-being of young patients in the pediatric ward of the Black Lion Hospital, as well as offering educational and artistic opportunities to socio-economically disadvantaged children and youths in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia).
Beneficiaries Approximately 5.000 children between the ages of 0 and 16 hospitalized in the pediatric ward of the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. Activities In 2014, Fekat Circus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Black Lion Hospital that also allows the clown-doctors to carry out activities in the oncologic ward of the hospital. These activities improve the emotional and psychological well- being of the young patients and stimulate their healing. Fun and creative activities are, in fact, considered therapeutic tools capable of improving the psychological and emotional well-being of the children. In 2017, the project included clowns, game rooms and entertainment activities led by 11 young artists from the Fekat Circus, five of whom are clown-doctors, trained in annual workshops. The clowns visited the rooms of the patients twice a week. In the main room of the pediatric ward entertainment was provided and various recreational, artistic and play activities were offered using games of construction and memory. Fekat Circus also attempts to stimulate children and young people living in disadvantaged conditions by offering circus arts and juggling classes at the Association’s compound and in other educational centres (orphanages, homeless shelters and other NGOs) every afternoon.
Partner Fekat Circus Created in 2004 by young Ethiopian artists who grew up in the streets of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, today this non-profit association engages in artistic, circus and acrobatic activities to promote the inclusion of socially disadvantaged minors. Fekat Circus has been supported by AMI in partnership with AMG since 2012. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 65 Art and Awareness raising
Otello Circus Objectives To create a lyric opera with disabled actors, dancers and musicians to sensitize the public at large about the culture of inclusion and to overturn the collective concept of disability meaning insurmountable limits in terms of artistic and human expression. Beneficiaries 20 actors, dancers and musicians with mental or physical disabilities between the ages of 15 and 40, members of the Accademia Arte della Diversità and the AllegroModerato Orchestra. Activities For some time, the Accademia Arte Della Diversità in Bolzano (with theatre) and the AllegroModerato in Milan (with music) have been working to give voice and opportunity for artistic expression to people with mental and physical disabilities. The two companies met and, with this project, created an ambitious lyrical theatrical opera based on Giuseppe Verdi’s and William Shakespeare’s Othello. The actors, dancers and musicians were involved in rehearsals and the staging of the opera as well as some joint artistic residencies, the first of which took place in Olinda from September 3-9, 2017. “Joining two poetic universes, two missions, two identities in a unique, common cultural, ethical and poetic project that aims to give back an identity and professionalism to disadvantaged actors, dancers and musicians.”
Partner Accademia Arte Della Diversità This cooperative was founded in Bolzano in 2012 (as a continuation of the activities of the Teatro La Ribalto, founded in 1996) to establish the first professional Italian theatre company with disabled actors. This professional company overcomes the logistics of integration with an eye to providing free access to growth and the creation of artistic and cultural activities also for the disabled. AllegroModerato This cooperative was founded in 2011 by teachers and expert instructors in special music, musical therapy and rehabilitation, with the aim of promoting musical instruction among people with psycho-physical vulnerabilities, convinced that this activates and develops emotional, cognitive and relational energies and competencies that the musicians can apply to their everyday lives. 66 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Tournée in Valencia Objectives Staging a theatrical tour in Valencia from September 25 to October 1, 2017, during which the Casa dei Risvegli actors who have come out of coma perform abroad and meet up with, converse and compare with similar Spanish theatrical groups.
Beneficiaries About 15 post-coma actors that belong to the Amici di Luca Association theatrical group, and about 15 actors with brain damage that are part of the Nueva Opciòn Spanish association, as well as about 5 theatre technicians from both associations. Activities For many years, the Casa dei Risvegli of Bologna has been offering young people who have come out of coma various theatrical activities aimed at assisting the awakening and social inclusion and integration of post-coma patients. Two theatrical groups were formed over the years: Dopo...Di Nuovo, for newly discharged patients, and the Amici di Luca Company, that works with patients that have been home for some time. The Tournée in Valencia project has offered the post-coma actors from both groups, who are regularly involved in theatrical activities at the Casa dei Risvegli, an opportunity to perform abroad and share an intense experience while reinforcing their sense of belonging to the group. The theatrical companies have been hosted in Valencia by the Nueva Opciòn Association, which, similar to the Amici di Luca Association, organizes theatrical activities for people with brain damage. The Tournée foresaw several days for workshops in theatrical expression co-conducted by Italian and Spanish professionals, along with the performance at the Community Theatre of Valencia of “IN PROGRESS”, the result of the shared workshops and the theatrical work undertaken by the two organizations.
Partner Amici di Luca This Association was founded in 1997, thanks to which in 2004 the “Casa dei Risvegli” was born – an innovative public rehabilitation and research centre of the public health services in Bologna for people in post-acute vegetative states with the potential to improve. The centre integrates medical treatments – rehabilitation, psycho-pedagogical work, volunteer training and innovative technologies. The Association also publicises and sensitizes people about this sector and trains qualified volunteers. Amici di Luca has been supported by AMI since January 2012. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 67 Art and Awareness raising - Co-partnership with AMG
Arte x Igual Festival Objectives Supporting the participation of Italian associations working in the field of art and disability in the International Art X Igual Festival organized in Bariloche, Argentina, by Cre-Arte, to provide a space for visibility and new opportunities for artists with disabilities; offering an educational opportunity on site to workers, young disabled, disadvantaged beneficiaries, university students and artists. Beneficiaries 27 operators and beneficiaries with disabilities from the Academia Arte della Diversità AllegroModerato and ZeroFavole, who participate in the Festival in Argentina; all the operators and beneficiaries with disabilities from Cre-Arte (about 100) who participate in the exchange activities among associations, learning new methodologies for artistic work with the disabled; Festival audience; the citizens of San Carlos de Bariloche and other Argentineans sensitized to the rights of the disabled. Activities Three Italian associations (AllegroModerato, Accademia Arte della Diversità, ZeroFavole/Babilonia Teatres) participated in the international art and disability festival (music, dance, theatre, painting) organized by Cre-Arte (an AMI and AMG partner since 2009) in Bariloche from November 1-10, 2017. Participation in this festival is the result of the Cre-Arte tour in Europe (2015, supported by AMG/AMI) and comprises the first of two phases of the “Theatre, dance and music of difference” Exchange among the Cre-Arte associations, the Accademia Arte della Diversità, AllegroModerato and ZeroFavole (2015 e 2016, supported by AMI). Eighty artists from various countries (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Spain and Italy) participated in the festival. The Italian associations contributed to the festival with performances and concerts in the main theatres and auditoriums of the city, by undertaking workshops, participating in meetings and conferences to exchange experience, methodologies, visions and perspectives in the field of artistic work with the disabled, recognizing their individual skills and professionalism. In particular, Accademia Arte della Diversità adapted to the local level “Le impronte dell’anima” (“Huellas del Alma”), a piece translated and co-produced by Accademia e Cre-Arte, offering professional training to theatre operators and youth with disabilities who participated in the adaptation of this performance. The AllegroModerato Orchestra undertook joint music sessions with two local orchestras (Orquesta del Bicentenario and Orquesta Cofradía) and provided music workshops to the young disabled beneficiaries from Cre-Arte, as well as training for local musicians in promoting music and disability workshops. At the Festival Art X Igual, ZeroFavole presented “Paradiso”, a performance realized in collaboration with Babilonia Theatres, which debuted in Rome on November 3, 2017 as part of the RomaEuropa Festival, along with offering workshops on theatre and disabilities for the theatre students at the Universidad de Rio Negro. During the Festival, the Italian associations visited the activities undertaken by Cre-Arte in Bariloche and participated in round-tables and seminars with representatives from various countries. Partner Accademia arte della Diversità, AllegroModerato, ZeroFavole See respective profiles of these partners. 68 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 Exchanges - Co-partnership with AMG
Fekat-Phare Exchange Objectives To promote a process of constructive comparison of the practices and standards of the organizations involved, and enable the comprehension of their respective artistic approaches, pedagogical methodologies and marketing strategies.
Beneficiaries 3 Fekat Circus professionals and 3 Phare Ponleu Selpak professionals; children and youths who are the beneficiaries of the projects undertaken by these two associations.
Activities Fekat Circus and Phare Ponleu Selpak share a social approach using circus arts and promoting the local culture through the continuous offer of artistic workshops for disadvantaged children and youths. In the context of Fekat Circus’s “Circus, Berta!” project, supported by the European Union Delegation in Ethiopia, AMI and AMG supported this exchange, which includes reciprocal visits to experience the activities of the social circuses carried out in the respective countries. To this end, three professionals of Fekat Circus travelled to Cambodia in March 2017 to visit the social activities undertaken in Battambang: the performing arts school (circus, theatre, dance, music), the visual arts school (VAAS) as well as the educational and social activities offered by Phare Ponleu Selpak. Subsequently, the three professionals visited the Enterprise Circus, which Phare Ponleu Selpak began in Siem Reap to present to the local tourists their shows, which are prepared during the workshops. In a second phase, three Phare Ponleu Selpak professionals travel to Ethiopia to visit the activities of the Fekat Circus, which are carried out daily: classes in circus arts, the preparation and putting on of shows in their headquarters, outreach activities at orphanages and jails, and the doctor-clown activities offered daily at the pediatric ward of the Black Lion Hospital. In this way, the participants can broaden their vision, discover new models for circus organizations operating in the social sphere, become knowledgeable about the artistic and cultural context in the host country, become better acquainted with the artistic programme and work of local artists from whom inspiration can be derived and explore possible future collaborations. Partner Fekat Circus, Phare Ponleu Selpak See respective profiles of these partners. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 69 Research
Worthy of Note Objectives Publishing research on “Tutta un’altra musica” and organizing a conference at the San Carlo Borromeo Hospital of Milan to publicize the effects of AllegroModerato’s musical model in pediatric wards, and the growth of a culture of disability.
Beneficiaries The AllegroModerato disabled musicians and their families, doctors and socio-educational hospital staff, interns and volunteers, operators in this sector. Activities The AllegroModerato Orchestra has been organizing musical workshops in the pediatric wards at the San Carlo Borromeo Hospital since 2012, and at the Niguarda Hospital since 2015, with the assistance of disabled, volunteer musicians. Over the years, AllegroModerato has shown that when the young patients play music with disabled musicians, the quality of hospital life of the patients improves, as does the relational capacity of the disabled musicians. The “Worthy of Note” project aimed to publicize the “Tutta un’altra musica” project by publishing research showing its social and economic impact, its positive results, limits and potential, defining the specific AllegroModerato model in the field of inclusive musical instruction. This research, published by Franco Angeli Editore, was scientifically supervised by the Università degli Studi of Bergamo and was presented on November 24, 2017 at the San Carlo Borromeo Hospital of Milan, which has hosted the orchestral workshops from the very first time the project was experimented in a pediatric context.
Partner AllegroModerato This cooperative was founded in 2011 by teachers and expert instructors in special music, musical therapy and rehabilitation, with the aim of promoting musical instruction among people with psycho-physical vulnerabilities, convinced that this activates and develops emotional, cognitive and relational energies and competencies that the musicians can apply to their everyday lives. 70 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Evaluation of the Dynamo Art Factory Objectives To evaluate the impact of the Dynamo Art Factory on children and young people affected by serious pathologies.
Beneficiaries Identifying transformation and its intensity on the basis of a set of qualitative-quantitative criteria with regard to the cultural aspects of art, particularly contemporary art, and the psycho-social aspects that an artistic workshop can help bring out in a person’s development. Activities The project evaluated the impact of the Dynamo Art Factory, which has been supported by AMI and AMG since 2016, on the beneficiaries, starting from the Theory of Change. The evaluation has been carried out by means of a qualitative- quantitative analysis using questionnaires distributed among the various stakeholders of the project, namely children and adolescents with various pathologies, participating parents and artists who carried out the activities in the Art Factory sessions (8 week-long sessions during the period April-September 2017). The analysis identified the transformation both from a cultural and a social standpoint, as well as in terms of the overall well-being of the children, looking particularly at changes in the young people’s perception and appreciation of contemporary art; accessibility to the means for artistic expression; and the connection with their own creative potential.
Partner Dynamo Camp This Association was created in 2007 and is part of the Serious Fun Children’s Network, an international network founded by Paul Newman in 1988 to contribute to the improvement of the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families. Dynamo Camp is located in the WWF oasis in Tuscany, which was inaugurated in 2007, and is the only Recreational Therapy facility in Italy designed to host minors whose lives are compromised by illness. fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 71
VIENTOS CULTURALES, Mexico 72 fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017
Testimonials
“It gives meaning to my accident… For me, theatre is a new life.” Paolo - Amici di Luca
“Art is essential for me because it’s the only way I can vent.” A., an adolescent – Dynamo Art Factory
“The group is important. In the beginning I didn’t know very many people. When I went out to photograph I saw new things, different people. Together we share our stories; with the photographs we talk about rage, joy, sadness and astonishment.” Sida - Laboratorio 53
“Through photography, but not only that, from all the art within us we can talk about life. We can seize the moment and tell the world that we exist!” Loni - Save the Children Italia/CivicoZero
“I experienced something unique; at a time when I was worried about my son I saw serenity in his eyes, thanks to music and the people playing it… Thank you again, especially for having eased his pain, both physical and mental.” Mattia’s mother, an eight-year-old patient -AllegroModerato
“Student A. is seriously autistic and expresses himself by shrieking, almost never verbally. When he took me by the hand last month and said: let’s play music, the psychologist who accompanies him almost fainted.” CIES/MaTeMù Arteducator
“… I wasn’t expecting to play music with them today and it was exhilerating. Later, when I walked into the room to provide therapy, that child that had shared the workshop experience with me smiled and wasn’t afraid of me – maybe because we played together? That’s what I think it was.” Hospital staff - AllegroModerato
“Exchange broadens one’s knowledge. Seeing activities carried out by other associations enables a free flow of reciprocal experience. It’s as though you’ve created laboratories for alchemy that combine portions of “experiential matter”. The quantities are unpredictable but harmonious when it comes to the openness that each person brings until a Philosopher’s stone is begat: knowledge of new perspectives and, therefore, transformation towards growth.” LAD fondazione alta mane italia - annual report 2017 73
Excerpt from the balance sheet at year end 2017 The Foundation’s annual report 2017, drawn up in accordance with article 2423 and subsequent articles of the Italian civil code and reviewed by the board of auditors, was approved by the Board of the Foundation on 23 March 2018. The following diagrams give an overview of the use of the Foundation’s resources in 2017 Breakdown by area of intervention
Total General Costs 25%
Comparison of25% general and project-related costs
25%
75% 74 fondazione alta mane italia - rapporto di attività 2017
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